


If (You Knew)

by astorii



Series: Exes & Woes [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen, KaiShin build-up, M/M, Pre-KaiShin Exes AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-10-30 13:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17829158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astorii/pseuds/astorii
Summary: A little filler on how Kaito and Shinichi got together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not and never will own DCMK much to my dismay.
> 
> Things to note: This takes place during the _Magic File 2: Shinichi Kudō, The Case of the Mysterious Wall and the Black Lab_ , so that would place our lovely protagonists at the age of 14.
> 
> Fun Fact: The title is taken from the _Lizzie_ soundtrack. It’s a musical about the Lizzie Borden Case. Go check it out. :p

“ _Ran and I had a fight._ ”

That... that is something Kaito had not expected to hear upon answering the phone. And it definitely catches his attention because in his three years of knowing both Ran and Shinichi, they had never fought—at least, not so seriously that Shinichi actually sounds upset about the whole ordeal.

“What happened?” he asks, setting his pencil down and leaning back in his chair. If the usually aloof and confident detective is brought to such a state of dismay, it must have been something serious.

On the other end, Shinichi falls silent. Kaito is sure he had heard the other kicking around a soccer ball, but the sound had disappeared.

“Shinichi, I really can’t help you if you don’t tell me,” he chides playfully, rolling his eyes. “Believe it or not, I can’t read your mind. Would be cool though. Maybe not your mind specifically ‘cause you’re probably waxing poetry about Sherlock Holmes or daydreaming about mysteries or something all day.”

For a moment, Kaito swears that the other released a humored breath—one of those quick exhales through the nostrils that one does when something not too funny comes up. If he didn’t know that Shinichi is as upset as he seems to be, Kaito would be rather offended. He’s plenty funny, thank you very much.

“Shinichi, seriously.”

“ _There’s a man,_ ” the other teen begins, “ _and he’s the prime suspect in his grandmother’s murder. He says he didn’t do it because he had been out drinking with a friend, but he can’t find any witnesses because he was drunk and laying in some grass at the park when the crime occurred._ ”

Kaito raises his brows. Instead of interrupting to ask questions, he stays silent, waiting for the other to continue. It takes Shinichi a few seconds to continue. The magician is sure he heard a door close just a few moments before the detective continues his explanation.

Though, he notices that Shinichi is giving him a summary of the case. Still, he keeps quiet just in case the context of this case is actually relevant to the fight. And in doing so, he learns that Ran and Shinichi have not spoken to each other for two days now, but still walk home with each other in a rather tense silence.

“ _I was telling her about the case and she suggested that the dog Koichi-san claimed to see belongs to this woman that she knows, but the problem is that her walking route wouldn’t be visible from where he was since there’s a wall in between them. I told her it was impossible, but then Ran decided that he’s probably clairvoyant._ ”

He sounds irritated as he spits out the last word like it’s something vile like _fish_. And a bit embarrassed. Kaito can see where this is going. To save Shinichi from having to say the rest, he says, “You probably told her that clairvoyance isn’t a thing and that there’d be no need for detectives to solve mysteries or whatever, right?”

“... _How’d you know?_ ” Shinichi asks, sounding somewhat amused. A sad little sigh follows the query. “ _I’ve been so intent on solving the case that I’ve been sneaking out of class._ ” There’s a little laugh that Kaito hears. He wonders what that’s about. “ _I’m a bit stuck on the black lab so I can’t help but think about..._ ”

“I just know you well enough,” Kaito answers cheekily to the question. He drops the cheerful disposition to say, “‘Nichi, I think that you should just apologize to the pretty lady. I’m sure Mouri-chan is just as upset as you are.”

Shinichi makes a sound between a whine and a groan that Kaito may have laughed at had it not been for the situation. With a sigh, he continues, reprimanding Shinichi on having not already taken the initiative. These words elicit a rather jaded response.

“ _I don’t know how to,_ ” Shinichi mumbles, sounding petulant. Kaito likens it to the attitude of a sulking child. It makes him laugh. “ _What am I supposed to say? Sorry I’m right and you’re wrong? She won’t even talk to me._ ”

“Have you actually tried talking to her?” Kaito asks, having an idea of what the reply will be. His suspicions are confirmed when Shinichi gives him a rather hesitant negative. “You know, a good first step would be to talk to her? A simple hello, maybe?”

“ _Easy for you to say._ ” Kaito can picture Shinichi pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to smooth away the forehead wrinkles he always seems to give him. “ _I can’t just_ talk _to her._ ”

Sighing, Kaito only tells him that he won’t solve his problem by avoiding her. Shinichi only says that he’s not. The magician knows better. The detective finally caves, admitting that he just doesn’t know where to start. Leave it to Shinichi to be socially stunted and totally clueless.

“You can start with an apology.” He smiles, some bit of fondness creeping in. “I believe in you. I gotta go now. Aoko’s expecting me to be over for dinner.” Kaito pauses, tapping his finger against the back of his phone. “Are we meeting up this weekend?”

“ _Yeah, sure, whatever,_ ” Shinichi mumbles, sounding oddly embarrassed as though he didn’t want to say those words out loud. Kaito’s heart warms at the answer. He hasn’t seen his friend for three weeks now. “ _See you Saturday, I guess._ ”

Kaito hangs up after bidding him adieu and telling him to wait at the station around 10 a.m. come Saturday morning. Grinning to himself, he stands up and grabs a sweatshirt that had been haphazardly tossed onto his bed and pulls it over his plain cotton t-shirt.

It’s going to be nice, he thinks, to see Shinichi again. Though, he has no idea what they could do after meeting up. Setting aside those thoughts for later, he rushes out the door because Aoko had told him that dinner would be ready around this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I got bored and I’m going through major writer’s block. I thought it would be fun to write something detailing how Kaito and Shinichi got together. Plus, I wanted to write a bit more from Kaito’s POV.
> 
> I mentioned before that they got together around the Week Long Fight™ Magic File episode. Completely random decision, but I needed something to work with. Anyway... yeah. That’s all. :p
> 
> Sorry for the OOCness. I tend to tweak the characters a bit, but I’ll do my best to bring out their more canon personalities.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: Kaito is secretly Adrien “Just A Friend” Agreste.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not and never will own DCMK. Or MLB. :p

Kaito had woken up early to catch the first train to Beika.

As the public transportation nears his stop, he steals a glance at his watch and fixes his jacket. Just last week, Aoko had dragged him out to the mall to accompany her at one of the many sales she enjoys going to since her friends were otherwise occupied. Although he played the role of baggage boy, he did manage to get a few new trendy clothes for himself at 65% of the original price.

He hopes Shinichi likes it just as much as he does. Not to toot his own horn or anything, but he really thinks that the black really complements his eyes. And that girl who’s been staring at him must think so too. Kaito gives her an impish grin that sends her cheeks ablaze.

Another peek at his watch tells him that it may still be a bit too early to be making strangers swoon. He’ll arrive at Beika Station around 8:30, which means he’ll have time to kill before Shinichi’s there. Kaito takes a moment to chastise himself on being so early, but he had been afraid that he’d make Shinichi wait too long if he took one of the later trains.

“Guess I could always go buy some food and surprise him at his house,” he murmurs, remembering that the station is only 25 minutes away from Shinichi’s house—about half that if he can get a taxi to drive him. “There’s a ramen shop nearby that ‘Nichi and I go to a lot that does takeout.”

With his decision made, Kaito pulls out his phone to make sure Shinichi hadn’t texted him. Last night, before he went to bed, he had instructed the other to text him when he was leaving to go to the station just in case. And unless Shinichi neglected to do so and decided to be much too early to their rendezvous time, the detective hasn’t left the house yet.

Perfect, Kaito gleefully thinks. Already, he knows to get the tsukemen that Shinichi had been enjoying recently, according to the teen himself. It’ll be much more convenient since he won’t have to worry so much about spilling the soup since it comes separately. And maybe he could order some gyoza for later.

Or maybe he should get some miso soup. Then again, Shinichi isn’t very picky and neither is he. And Kaito’s certain that his friend will appreciate the effort regardless.

“Knowing him, he probably hasn’t eaten since lunch yesterday,” he mutters, rolling his eyes before turning his attention to the electronic banner overhead. All it tells him is that the next stop is Beika.

He knows that. ETA is in seven minutes. At the five-minute mark, the announcement should come on for passengers getting off at Beika to get ready for their arrival. Kaito’s already buzzing with excitement. He hasn’t seen Shinichi in three weeks and before that their visits had been sparse and scattered with disagreeing schedules for the past few months.

Can you blame him for being so eager to arrive?

“She’s a lucky one, isn’t she?”

Kaito blinks, startling as he notices an old woman sitting at the other end of the seat he’s on. There’s a somewhat huge space between them. After all, it’s still fairly early. He doesn’t know if she had been talking to him specifically because she’s not looking at him, but one look around this part of the train shows that he’s the only male spare for a phone-engrossed business man and a little boy with his head in his mother’s lap.

“Eh?” He cocks his head a bit, furrowing his brows.

“You’re going out to surprise your girlfriend, aren’t you?” asks the woman, turning her head to look at him. “I can see it—you must really love her.”

He flushes. “N-no, not seeing a girlfriend. I don’t... I don’t have a girlfriend,” he explains, scratching the back of his head. Kaito barely takes notice of the girl who had been staring earlier, but he does see the way she becomes very interested. He makes it a point to avoid that scary look in her eyes. “I’m actually on my way to see a friend of mine. We haven’t seen each other in a few weeks since we don’t live in the same ward.”

Kaito tries to avoid pronouns lest he embarrass the old woman. He scratches his cheek, trying to get rid of the warmth collecting on his cheeks. Does it really seem like he’s on his way to see his girlfriend?

“She’s just a friend, then?” the woman says, humored disbelief spilling from her lips. “My old eyes can see that you love her.”

“Just a friend,” he confirms. That’s _all_ Shinichi is. “I could never—”

He struggles to get his words out after that. He could never date Shinichi. Shinichi deserves someone kind and caring and perfect—like Ran! Almost everyone and their mother believes the pair will end up being sweethearts.

“Suit yourself.” The woman smiles to herself, looking content as though she knows the universe’s secrets. “I know you love her, even if you can’t see it for yourself.”

“I’ll... I’ll take your word for it,” he manages to say, his mouth twisting as he says those words. “‘Nichi’s just a friend though.”

“And I’ll take your word for it,” she responds, smiling a tight-lipped smile with her eyebrows raised.

His nose twitches. Why does she seem so sure of herself? Kaito just tells her that she should as he turns away. With cheeks blazing hot, he listens to the announcement that they’ll be arriving in five minutes.

Kaito pulls his sling bag into his lap and checks his phone. Maybe he and Shinichi can get a laugh out of this interaction. He starts typing out a _you’ll never believe the convo i just went through!_ to Shinichi. And when he’s about to send the message, he pauses.

Then he deletes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I really just crank out another chapter? This fast? I’m shOOK.
> 
> So... he’s just a friend, huh? I’m sure he is. ;) I tried to write a few little hints that Kaito may actually like Shinichi.
> 
> And I hope I made him awkward enough during that interesting encounter. Sksksks.
> 
> Okay, so, I’m debating on whether Shinichi’s parents are still there or if they’ve left the country after Shinichi solves the case. Oh well!


	3. Chapter 3

As the car rolls to a stop in front of the gates of the Kudō residence, Kaito digs into his wallet, pulling out the appropriate amount of yen. He thinks to tip the man, but he doesn’t seem to have a nice little decorative envelope to place it in and he’d hate to insult the man. With a shrug, he pockets his wallet, holding the yen in his left hand.  
  
His stomach rumbles as the smell of tsukemen and gyoza wafts up into his nostrils, tickling his palate and tempting him into sneaking a taste. Kaito is quick to berate himself—he’s literally only seconds away from Shinichi’s home. He can wait. A meal like this will be much more enjoyable with Shinichi. After all, sharing food with your friends always makes everything taste better!  
  
“Thank you for the ride!” he says, sliding the money over. Kaito opens his door and unbuckles his seatbelt before twisting his body to grab the paper bag from the ramen shop. As he’s shimmying his way out of the car, the driver speaks—his name is Akuhei, isn’t it?  
  
“You live here?”  
  
“Um, no.” Kaito blinks, unsure of what to say. Fully exiting the car, He looks at the big house and back at the man and then down to the food sitting in the bag. “I’m just visiting my friend today. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him and his parents are out of the country, so I thought I’d spend the day with him. We’re probably going to hit up the mall. Maybe we’ll take your taxi there.”  
  
Or maybe they’ll walk. Then again, the mall is probably over thirty minutes away on foot. Though, Shinichi does like the exercise and Kaito is never one to complain as long as Shinichi’s happy. Just as he closes the door and bids the man a good day, he drives off, leaving him in the dust. For a few moments, Kaito is gaping at the blatant lack of manners. Perhaps leaving no tip had been a good decision because what a rude man he is! Not even a goodbye or anything! With a snort, he turns around, hugging the takeout with one arm and unlocking the gate with the other.  
  
He feels… excited. It’s been almost a month since he’s seen Shinichi. Every step towards the doors is another step towards his friend. Kaito can’t help but think of all the things they can do today! He tugs on the collar of his jacket before running his freehand through his hair. And it’s only a few seconds later that he finds himself in front of the doors.  
  
Kaito tries the handle, finding that the door is locked, which he had expected but you never know. He sets the bag down and flicks both of his wrists to reveal the necessary tools for lock-picking. Of course, he knows that the emergency key is hidden behind the door frame where there is a near-unnoticeable cutout in the framework near the bottom of the door. If Shinichi hadn’t told him about that, he loathes to admit that he may not have noticed. After all, he’s not the detective here!  
  
Picking the lock is just as easily done as it is said. Kaito grins as he opens the door. Quickly, he picks up his takeout and slips inside, quietly shutting and locking the door behind him. The sound of the door closing seems loud in the silent house. It doesn’t seem like Shinichi is awake. If he were, Kaito has no doubts that he would have noticed the door opening no matter how quiet Kaito tried to be.  
  
Without bothering to call out for Shinichi just in case he had become lost in another book, he sets off for the kitchen where he places the bag down and takes out its contents: two bowls of tsukemen and their respective bowls of soup, a container of ten or so pieces of gyoza, and two containers of dipping sauce. And let’s not forget the two pairs of chopsticks!  
  
Helping himself, Kaito bustles over to the cabinets and pulls out a glass for his own cup of orange juice because he knows Shinichi keeps a carton in stock just for him and he grabs a mug so that he can prepare a cup of coffee for his friend. He knows Shinichi loves iced coffee more than anything in the world, but in the mornings he tends to take it black. Kaito often gags at the thought. How could someone enjoy something so… bitter? Ugh. _Disgusting_.  
  
As he prepares Shinichi’s choice of drink, his ears pick up on the sound of tentative footsteps. Ah, Shinichi definitely hadn’t expected him if he’s sneaking around as though an intruder were in the house. Kaito almost snickers, but he pretends not to hear the detective approaching the kitchen.  
  
“Ka-Kaito!” exclaims the other, letting out a breath of relief. Now he lets himself laugh. “I thought we agreed that I’d pick you up at the station later?”  
  
“We did,” Kaito replies, turning around to grin as he leans against the counter. “I just came a little early. Decided I had enough time to get food and save you the trouble.”  
  
“Thanks.” Shinichi plops himself down in a seat, knowing well that even Kaito can handle using a coffee machine. “And, you know, one day someone’s going to see you picking the lock and think you’re trying to break in.”  
  
Shrugging is his only response before he turns back around to watch the coffee brew. “Always looking for the opportunity to improve my skills. And admit it, ‘Nichi, you’re glad I came over and brought food anyway. I bet you were up late reading Sherlock Holmes again.”  
  
Shinichi snorts. “Wrong. I was up reading Agatha Christie. _The A.B.C. Murders_ and _The Murder at the Vicarage_ to be exact. Contrary to popular belief”—which means him and Ran—“I am not _obsessed_ with Conan Doyle’s work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that there will be a little plot to this fic aside from Kaito and Shinichi getting together. In fact, this plot is what pushes them to get together! Maybe you can figure it out now. ;)
> 
> Anywho, I’m currently waiting for the bus to arrive. I woke up around 4 am to finish reading something for English and I managed to finish writing this as well. ^ ^
> 
> You can see a little of their relationship in this. It’s interesting thing to write given that they’re 14 and neither Kid nor Conan has happened yet. I’m having a bit of fun with them right now. Hehe. All the little hints that Kaito at least likes Shinichi, even if he doesn’t know it. Shinichi, at least, seems to know Kaito pretty well.
> 
> Have a nice day!


	4. Chapter 4

“Notice anything new, ‘Nichi?”  
  
Looking up from his phone, Shinichi looks at him, eyeing him up and down before shrugging his shoulders and powering his phone off to slip both hands in his pocket. “Not really.”  
  
Kaito puffs out his cheeks, feeling oddly disappointed. He had been so excited about showing Shinichi his new jacket! He even did a pose and hair flick! Doesn’t it make his eyes pop? That girl on the train from earlier must have thought so. And isn’t he a _detective_? Isn’t it his job to notice the little things in life? Little things like—oh, a new jacket?  
  
With a sigh, Kaito says, “Anyway, what’ve you been up to? You solved that case you were telling me about, right? The one where you and Mouri-chan got into that fight?”  
  
Shinichi scratches his cheek and begins to recount the case from beginning to end. Apparently it hadn’t been a black lab that the man had seen, but a guitar case! Kaito snickers. He gets an elbow to the rib for that as Shinichi continues on to say that it’s thanks to him that the man’s name had been cleared. Kaito likes seeing Shinichi looking all giddy and proud. He likes the way the other boy’s eyes light up and the way his cheeks are flushed as his lips pull into a prideful little grin.  
  
The little picture Shinichi is painting almost distracts Kaito from the, “I made a smoke bomb in chemistry so I could sneak out of class,” that spills from the aspiring detective’s lips. It’s surprising enough that he has to do a double take. Did he hear that right? His Shinichi making a smoke bomb and sneaking out of class?  
  
“Hold up.” Kaito brings the two of them to a stop. Shinichi looks at him. “You made a smoke bomb—with actual chemicals—just so you could sneak out of class to investigate? You? Kudō Shinichi? Broke some rules to solve a mystery?”  
  
Shinichi shrugs. “I did it for a good cause. Doing bad things doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person; it’s the intentions behind your actions that define who you are. I wanted to help a man in need.” He rolls his eyes. “Besides, I didn’t miss much in class if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
  
“‘Nichi, ‘Nichi, ‘Nichi… what did your parents have to say about this? They were here until a few nights ago, weren’t they?”  
  
“Tōsan doesn’t particularly care so long as I’m not hurt and Kāsan just told me not to get caught,” Shinichi says, waving him off. “You’re talking like you’ve never broken the rules.”  
  
Blatantly false statement right there. As much as he (doesn’t) loathe to admit it, Shinichi’s right. Kaito has broken quite a few rules. Of course, his intentions were to spark joy and laughter while raising hell for the teachers. He’s only a bit of a prankster, mind you. He tells Shinichi that he’s made a fair point. And just like that, the two continue their way to the mall. This time, Kaito tells him about one of his latest tricks—it involves a robotic head modeled after his own _and_ it spits out streamers. How cool is that?  
  
According to Shinichi, it sounds rather childish and like a waste of effort. Kaito takes that as a _wow, Kaito, you’re so brilliant!_ and grins. He likes to think that he knows Shinichi well enough to deduce for himself when such words are meant as terrible compliments.  
  
As they’re walking, Shinichi decides to be the one to direct the two of them towards a new conversation. He’s telling Kaito about some song and a sunset, but the latter is distracted by a passing car.  
  
It’s a taxi, Kaito thinks to himself. He wonders if it’s the same one he had taken just a little over an hour ago. Though, that’s obviously not important now, is it? Shrugging it off, he returns his attention to Shinichi, noting with amusement that his moment of distraction went by unnoticed.  
  
“—an and I made up right then and there, actually. I think the song we heard was _Amazing Grace_.” There’s a smile in his voice. “I wish you were there, too.” He turns to Kaito. “I’m glad you’re here now though.”  
  
“Me too,” Kaito says. He loops an arm around Shinichi’s shoulders, laughing out loud when the latter squawks in protest to being touched. He makes it a point to pull Shinichi closer. “I didn’t know you could be so sentimental, ‘Nichi. _I’m glad you’re here now though_. That’s gotta be the nicest thing you’ve said to me in a while!”  
  
“I-idiot!” Even though his expression says otherwise, Shinichi doesn’t seem to mind the jest or the arm around his shoulders. Kaito marvels at the pink hue on his cheeks. “You’re so embarrassing.”  
  
Kaito can’t resist to shoot back with a, “But you love me anyway,” just to see what sort of reaction he’d get. As expected, Shinichi merely scoffs and shoves him away, declaring that he only tolerates his presence simply because Kaito obviously isn’t going to let him get away that easily. And, well, he isn’t wrong.  
  
Shinichi is such a good friend. Sure, yes, maybe he’s a bit cold and aloof and arrogant and rude, but he’s also such a good person deep down and it’s funny how awkward he really is behind all that bravado. Kaito likes to think that he’s quite lucky for having a friend like Shinichi.  
  
Somehow, thinking about that makes him think about how lucky Ran is to be childhood friends with Shinichi. Unlike him, she gets to see Shinichi everyday! And with the way the two of them are, it won’t be long until childhood friends turns into childhood sweethearts.  
  
For some reason, that idea tastes sour.  
  
“You okay?” Shinichi asks.  
  
“‘Course I am.” Kaito steals a glance and sees that blue eyes are boring into his own, trying to discern the true thoughts and feelings hidden inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter last night (holy cow) and I didn’t update this story until today. Sksksks. It took a lot to keep me from posting this. I’d have posted this earlier, but I was on a coach bus returning from a field trip and I was paranoid and thought people would be looking over my shoulder and judging me.
> 
> So, a bit more foreshadowing of sorts for the plot involved in this story. Though, next chapter should be some unintentional and awkward flirting between the two. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey, Kaito?”  
  
“Yes, ‘Nichi?”  
  
“Can you reach that book up there for me?”  
  
Kaito lowers the encyclopedia of all things in the English dictionary beginning with the letter ‘E’ in his hands and blinks. He sees that Shinichi’s back is to him, but he can also see that the other boy is staring up at one of the higher shelves. Slowly, he puts the book down and walks over, raising his brows. He follows Shinichi’s gaze to a mustard-yellow-spined book with a magnifying glass insignia on the bottom in an embossed red color. He blinks.  
  
“You do realize that I’m only taller than you by a few centimeters,” he deadpans. He watches in fascination at the way Shinichi’s cheeks turn a little pink. Kaito remembers how Shinichi had once commented about how Ran is taller than him by a few centimeters as well even though all three of them had been the same height at some point—this conversation had occurred probably a mere three weeks ago though. It’s almost a wonder how he remembers this.  
  
“Your point?” Shinichi looks at him and rolls his eyes, taking a step back. “I want that book.”  
  
“You seriously can’t reach it?” Kaito asks out of disbelief, lifting his heels off the ground and plucking it from the shelf. “‘Nichi, please tell me you’re just being lazy.”  
  
As expected, Shinichi turns his cheek towards Kaito, scoffing as he swipes the book from his hand. “Thanks,” he says, striding over to the checkout and joining the line of customers.  
  
Kaito just stares. There’s a smile tugging on the corners of his lips. He shakes his head and picks up the encyclopedia so he can return it to the shelf he had found it on. As he’s looking around, trying to figure out its original placement, he hears a voice behind him saying, “You and your boyfriend are cute.”  
  
“Excuse me?” he asks, turning around and shoving the book into a random place on the shelf, uncaring of where it went. Kaito sees a very pretty girl about their age. Her brown hair is pulled up into a high ponytail and her blue sweater reminds him of Shinichi’s eyes. “Me and my who now?”  
  
She raises one obviously over-plucked brow at him and says it again. Then, she adds, “That boy is your boyfriend, right?” She frowns and suddenly her eyes grow wide. “Or is he your brother? Shit. If he’s your brother, I retract my earlier statement.” She looks a little worried at the prospect of having mistaken two brothers as lovers. Kaito doesn’t know exactly what to think.  
  
“Um, no to both of those.” He glances at Shinichi who looks to be checking his watch. “‘Nichi’s just my best pal.”  
  
Behind Aoko, he thinks privately. The girl would bash his head in with a mop if she heard him. Maybe. Kaito likes to think she likes his pretty face far too much to do something so violent.  
  
“Oh. Okay, good. To the not-your-brother part. You two would be cute together,” she tells him, eyes gleaming. Kaito resists the urge to step back into the shelf. “He was staring at you before asking you to grab that book for him. I was watching. He could probably reach it perfectly fine on his own.”  
  
Oh?  
  
“And you were watching him because…?” Kaito looks her up and down. “He’s taken. Kind of. Don’t get any ideas about dating him. He has this thing going on with—”  
  
“You?” she asks, sounding hopeful. “Like I keep saying, you two would be cute. He definitely likes you, but I don’t think he knows it yet. You totally like him, too, right?”  
  
Kaito sputters. “Uh, we’re just friends. He kind of has this thing going with this girl he met in preschool. They’re basically childhood sweethearts except he’s too dense to do anything about it.” Though, now that he thinks about it, he’s pretty sure Ran hasn’t realized that she has feelings for Shinichi. If the two are going to get together anytime soon, it’ll be because Shinichi worked up the guts to confess to her. “And I kind of like this girl back in Ekoda.”  
  
Kind of. Kaito thinks Aoko is charming in her own weird little way. She’s childish and naive, but he can’t help but want to protect that innocence. He thinks it’s nice seeing her smile whenever he does one of his new tricks for her.  
  
This stranger looks unconvinced. “Suit yourself.” And with that, she walks away, throwing him one final knowing look over her shoulders before she disappears out of the bookstore. When she’s finally gone, Kaito turns his attention back to Shinichi, who’s currently second in line.  
  
That’s the second time today that someone thought he and Shinichi were a thing. He shakes his head. Kaito doesn’t have anything against same-sex couples. Or the community they come from. It’s just… him and Shinichi? Dating?  
  
He wouldn’t hate it. Not much would change between them if they were to date. The two of them are already close and they like to spend any opportunity they have together. He likes their banter and the way Shinichi always has a carton of his favorite sweetened pulp-free orange juice in the fridge despite the fact that Shinichi himself prefers it to be bitter. Of course, there’s more to their relationship than that.  
  
Kaito pinches his cheeks. Why is he even entertaining the idea? Shinichi’s destined to date Ran. And he has Aoko!  
  
“Ready to leave?”  
  
He jumps. Kaito realizes that Shinichi is standing before him, looking rather unimpressed as he crosses his arms.  
  
“Oh. Yeah. I’m ready when you are,” he says. Shinichi gives him a weird look and nods his head towards the exit. “Maybe we could grab a bite to eat?”  
  
Looking down at his watch, Shinichi shakes his head. “It’s getting late. We can probably just make some curry before you have to catch a train. That all right with you?”  
  
“Yeah. Sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so, Ran doesn’t realize she’s in love with Shinichi until their New York trip. I think. That hasn’t happened yet since they’re still 14 in this.
> 
> But so... I think Shinichi already realizes that he likes Kaito? Or at least has some idea. Now, some of you might think that’s crazy, but keep in mind that he did know that “ever since that time, [he’s] been head over heels for [Ran’s] smile.” That’s an actual quote from him. I have a whole note in my Notes app dedicated to quotes from DCMK. Sksksksks.
> 
> And sorry. I was kind of oddly amused at the idea of Shinichi being a little shorter than some of his friends. Puberty and all that. He hasn’t had his growth spurt yet. Sksksks. Just some irony because there will come the day where he’s more than just a few centimeters shorter than his friends. ;)
> 
> Also, yet another random OC who has to comment on how cute Kaito and Shinichi are. She’s probably a—what’s it called???—fujoshi? Or something like that?
> 
> Anyway. So, Kaito’s beginning to question things. I think we get to the plot in the next chapter?
> 
> So yeah. It’s actually 3 am and I’m supposed to be doing the homework I procrastinated on. Whoops.


	6. Chapter 6

“I guess curry’s out of the question now?” Shinichi asks with his brows furrowed and lips pulled downwards at the corners. Perhaps Kaito’s seeing things, but is that _disappointment_ etched into that pretty face? How cute! It seems like his detective enjoyed their day out just as much as he did! “It’s getting even later. You know your kāsan doesn’t like it when you take the train after it gets dark.”  
  
Kaito snorts. His mother won’t care that much. she trusts him just as much Shinichi’s own parents trust him—and that must be a lot if the talk about Yūsaku and Yūkiko leaving their only son in Japan began when Shinichi was only _seven-years-old_. “And she also doesn’t like it when I leave you to your own devices. Kāsan thinks you’ll get yourself killed one day with how nosy you are. I’ll just walk you home and crash at your place. Problem solved.”  
  
To that, the detective responds by wrinkling his nose and scoffing. “It’s called curiosity, ever heard of it? Besides, you can’t just _crash_ at my place. You don’t even have a change of clothes! It can’t be comfortable sleeping in those clothes.” Kaito thinks he’s seeing things when it looks to him like Shinichi’s cheeks turn pink. “And I can walk home by myself. Go catch your train. If you stay, you’ll have to get up early to avoid rush hour.”  
  
With a dismissive wave, Kaito says, “I can just borrow some of your clothes. It’s not like I’m that much taller than you. ‘Sides, don’t you want to spend more time with me?”  
  
Shinichi’s silence is enough of an answer for him. Kaito takes it as a win and falls in step with his friend, striking up a new conversation about how Aoko is doing and how she wanted to come so she could hang out with Ran. Shinichi tells him that he should have invited her—Ran was free today and only stayed home because she didn’t want to impose. Kaito wouldn’t have minded. Ran makes for pleasant company and he better get used to the inevitable future of third-wheeling.  
  
“A guys day out, she said,” Shinichi explains, shrugging. “Don’t know why she couldn’t just come along with Sonoko or something.” He pauses, tapping a finger against his chin. Kaito finds it oddly endearing. “Though, I guess it works out. She gets to relax at home and we don’t have to deal with that harpy.”  
  
Dissolving into a fit of laughter makes it hard for Kaito to say, “Such a rude thing to call a lady!” If Shinichi mutters under his breath about how Sonoko is anything but a lady, he ignores it in favor of slinging his arm around Shinichi’s shoulders with a happy sigh. “ _Detective Samonji_ and leftovers from this morning?”  
  
“Obviously,” Shinichi says, smirking. It’s more mellow compared to his usual smugness, Kaito notices. “I think we still have some lemon pie left over from some bakery Kāsan went to before she left.” He frowns. “Though, I’m sure we also have some of that chocolate mousse cake, too—if you don’t want pie.”  
  
The grin on his face just seems to grow. Of course Shinichi remembered how much he prefers sweet over sour. Or, well, chocolate over anything. When Shinichi offers to make hot chocolate, Kaito thinks his heart swells just a tiny bit. He loves hot chocolate. What could be better than hot chocolate, cake, and—  
  
—and Shinichi.  
  
It’s a startling idea. And also not. Of course he likes spending time with Shinichi! Loves it, even.  
  
(Love?)  
  
Kaito feels his grin falling apart. He looks at Shinichi, who has moved on to talking about the latest episode that he’d missed because his parents had been in the country at the time and Yukiko insisted on having a family dinner at Columbo and the allotted dinner time just so happened to begin only thirty minutes before the episode had been set to air. Needless to say, Shinichi had been miffed as he hadn’t been able to watch it with the recent case and his having to make-up work he had missed and soccer practices he had skipped out on.  
  
“—and the rerun is tonight! If we hurry, we could probably watch it and then we can just watch some of the older episodes from the collector’s edition like we usually do—”  
  
Kaito doesn’t like watching _Detective Samonji_. He thinks it’s stupid—the older episodes even more so with the cheap effects and poor acting, but Shinichi likes to argue that it’s a classic and that the low quality of the earlier seasons is charming. And the new episodes are crazy good—Shinichi’s words, not his. No matter how much better the production is and no matter how skilled the new set of actors are, Kaito will never like the series.  
  
“—I think we should change when we get home. Last time, didn’t we fall asleep on the couch in the middle of one of the seasons? I remember that I woke up before you and you were half-off the couch and all I had to do was push the rest of your body off and you just shot up—”  
  
He remembers. He also remembers waking up, panicked, but then calming down as soon as he realized that Shinichi was laughing, looking less reserved and aloof and more like the carefree young teenager he’s supposed to be. Shinichi had looked so… so…  
  
There isn’t a word in his vocabulary that can perfectly describe his detective, but Kaito still tries to find one anyway as the two of them continue walking. Eventually, the two of them are just around the corner from Shinichi’s home. When they stop in front of the gate, Shinichi makes a move to unlock it, only to pause with his hands frozen near the lock, staring at the mansion with a perplexed expression.  
  
“What?” Kaito asks, trying to follow his gaze. He sees nothing. “What is it?”  
  
“Someone’s inside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really just took a practice SAT test because I was bored and had nothing better to do. I got a 1200. Idk how good that is, but I was expecting lower than that so that’s cool. I wonder how I’d do if I actually studied and took my time to work out the problems.
> 
> Anywho, I digress. But here’s some good news!!! School lets out for me in like two weeks? Three? We had so many snow days so they kept adding days to the end of the year. Kinda sad, but I also never do anything in the summer anyway so I’m not mad. *shrugs* But that means I’ll be able to write without stressing about school soon. ^ ^
> 
> Okay. So. Story. Someone’s in the house!!! And the irony of Chikage worrying about Shinichi getting himself killed because of his nosiness. Sksksks. But it looks like Kaito’s finally starting to get it... ;)


	7. Chapter 7

“What do you mean someone’s inside?” he hisses, looking between Shinichi and the mansion. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. None of the lights are on and it doesn’t seem like the front door is unlocked or any of the windows open. Did he miss something? Perhaps he should work on his own observational skills...  
  
“Second floor, third window from the left. I saw a shadow.” Shinichi looks to be inspecting the bars of the gate with his fingers not quite touching them. Kaito wonders what that’s about. “See here? There’s a partial footprint; it looks like concrete dust. My guess is whoever’s in there walked here from about five blocks down ‘cause I’m pretty sure there’s some construction going on around there.” He pulls away from the gate, folding his arms but tapping a finger against his chin. He reasons that whoever’s inside mustn’t be anyone they know because the only people who would be inside are limited to Ran and Shinichi’s parents—and all three of them would simply unlock the gate. “I don’t think they noticed us, so we at least have the element of surprise.”  
  
“Element of—wait, ‘Nichi, tell me you aren’t planning on going in there,” Kaito snaps, grabbing Shinichi’s shoulder just as the detective begins to unlock the gate. Even at the obvious flinch, he doesn’t let go. He won’t let Shinichi run in like some reckless idiot if some stranger really is in that house. “You can’t just do that!”  
  
As expected, Shinichi looks over and bites back, telling Kaito that he can stay out here and call the police if he wants to. Kaito wishes Shinichi could have as much self-preservation as he does intelligence. He’d be able to stop worrying about Shinichi as much as he does if that were the case. Anyone who attracts trouble like a magnet should do well without the reckless nature that Shinichi has (unfortunately) been gifted with.  
  
With a slow inhale, Kaito tightens his grip, finding it hard to be even minutely guilty at the flash of pain in Shinichi’s face; though, he is gracious enough to ease his hold. And while he’d like nothing more than to hold Shinichi back so that they both may wait for a patrol car, he knows that it would take a great deal of convincing to keep Shinichi out here. If he knows Shinichi, the latter won’t sit still when trouble is afoot.  
  
“Fine.” Kaito drops his hand, not missing the grateful look Shinichi sends him. “If you’re going, I’m going. But first—” he pulls out his phone “—we call the police. If you’re not going to stand out here and wait for the authorities, which anyone with even a shred of common sense would do, then we’ll call and go in. At least then help will be on the way.” As he’s completing the task of calling the police, he asks, “Is Agasa-hakase home? If we ask, he’d surely wait for the police while we’re inside. Or he could make sure whoever’s in there doesn’t leave.”  
  
“He’s out,” Shinichi replies, sounding impatient. “Something about a convention in Hokkaido.”  
  
He’s unhappy that Agasa isn’t home to act as a third party who would surely agree that what they are about to do is terribly stupid and horribly reckless. With a sigh, he waits a few moments for his call to be answered. After explaining the situation, answering a few questions, and confirming that the nearest patrol car is on its way, Kaito hangs up and nods to Shinichi as he puts his phone away.  
  
“Together,” he says.  
  
Shinichi responds with a nod as he turns to the gate. Unlocking it only takes a few seconds and soon the two step foot inside the estate. Kaito takes note of the posture Shinichi adopts and the nearly silent steps he takes; perhaps one day he’ll need to know how to sneak around like some sort of thief—it’ll do wonders in setting up some of his pranks, that’s for sure!  
  
As they near the door, Shinichi motions for him to remain silent. Shinichi places his ear against it and the two of them wait with bated breath. When it becomes evident that Shinichi either hears nothing or can’t hear through the door at all, he peeks in through one of the windows.  
  
When Kaito debates getting out his lockpicking set, which always comes in handy during certain tricks or presents opportunities for mischief, Shinichi grasps the door handle and twists it, opening the door just enough to poke his head in. Kaito doesn’t speak as he rubs his hands together nervously. What if the supposed someone inside sees Shinichi and attacks? They don’t know if the person is armed! Or even how many people are inside!  
  
“Coast is clear,” he hears Shinichi whisper. The detective opens the door just enough to slip inside. Dutifully, Kaito follows.  
  
“So, what now, Meitantei?” he whispers back, setting down the purchase Shinichi had made at the bookstore. Shinichi’s elbow is quite pointy when it nails him in the ribs. Kaito manages a little snicker as he almost forgets about the situation they’re in. “Seriously though. What do we do from here?”  
  
“We secure the first floor,” Shinichi murmurs. “Wanna split up or stay together?”  
  
Kaito has to force himself not to snort. He grabs Shinichi’s hand. “Stay together, duh.” He’s rather grateful for the dim lighting as his face feels warmer than it should, but he also doesn’t like how uneasy it makes him feel. The thought of the unknown lurking around the darker corners is a little off-putting. “Does securing the first floor include securing us a weapon?”  
  
Shinichi has to be smart enough to realize that any normal person would find some means of defense in this situation, right?  
  
“If it makes you feel better, we can stop by the kitchen first.”  
  
To grab a knife, Kaito assumes. He doesn’t like the idea of having to use one against another person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sksksksks. Finals is really gonna kick my butt. I’m kinda stressed out, but it’s whatever. :))
> 
> Anywho... let’s see if we can end this story just as I planned. ^ ^ 10k words may not be the longest story, but it’ll definitely be the longest multi chapter story I’ve ever completed. So excited!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Apparently a lot can happen in three minutes.  
  
The past three minutes, from what Kaito can actually remember, looks like this: they go to the kitchen, Kaito grabs a knife, they check each room, and then—  
  
And then this happens.  
  
Kaito, for the second time in his life, is unbelievably _terrified_. What would Shinichi do? His brilliant detective would have figured something out by now, he thinks. Shinichi would have come up with some sort of plan to get the both of them out of this relatively unharmed—and he says relatively because Shinichi is a self-sacrificing idiot who cares more about others than himself.  
  
Except, it’s his detective being held at knifepoint and not Kaito. When the former tried to shake himself out of his captor’s hold, the knife’s tip only pushed deeper, digging into Shinichi’s neck and breaking through enough for a thin line of blood to trickle down. Kaito bites his lip, feeling particularly weak in the knees because he can’t stand feeling so helpless while Shinichi is in danger like that and—  
  
“Let him go,” Kaito begs, not knowing what else he can do. Around him, he feels his poker face crumbling. He doesn’t know if he can pull it together at the moment.  
  
This was such a stupid, _stupid_ idea! He should have tried harder to convince Shinichi to stay outside with him. They’re fourteen! What can two fourteen-year-olds do in the face of danger?  
  
At this moment, Kaito regrets grabbing that knife from the kitchen because he didn’t even want to wield one in the first place. And now said knife found its way into the hands of their intruder, who just so happens to be that taxi driver from earlier. Maybe this wouldn’t be happening if he had just kept his mouth shut about his and Shinichi’s plans. Or maybe he should’ve just walked. Or not have taken the earliest train he could get to Beika.  
  
But Kaito doesn’t even remember when the knife went from his hands to those of—what’s his name again? Akuhei? That sounds about right. Anyway, yes, he doesn’t recall the knife leaving his hands nor how Shinichi ended up being taken hostage in his own home. Frankly, Kaito believes that, in the end, he’s to blame.  
  
Why couldn’t it have been him? Shinichi would have known what to do—Kaito’s sure of it! He’d never let anyone get hurt.  
  
“Please,” he tries. The knife only digs deeper. Shinichi lets out something close to a _whimper_. That sound alone hurts more than any knife ever could.  
  
_Shit_. How far away is the patrol car?  
  
Wait. That’s it! The patrol car! Shinichi would keep talking to stall the criminal! Perhaps he can buy some time for the both of them?  
  
Kaito takes a deep breath and rebuilds his poker face. Slowly, he meets the man’s gaze and asks, “Why are you doing this?”  
  
(Keep him talking. Do it for Shinichi.)  
  
“Driving people around only pays so much, you know,” says Akuhei, narrowing his eyes. Kaito crosses his fingers behind his back, hoping that he doesn’t get suspicious. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when I learned this huge place would be empty for a few hours.”  
  
Shinichi raises his brows and Kaito winces. “Right. Maybe not the best idea to go blathering about mine and ‘Nichi’s plans to some stranger,” he says, trying to laugh it off. He abruptly stops his nervous chuckles when Shinichi emits another sound of pain. “Well, um, I’m sorry to hear about that, but maybe you could let him go?”  
  
“Dream on, kid.”  
  
Kaito bites his lip. How will he get his detective out of there safely? He knows there’s a window behind him. And this is only the second floor. Kaito’s certain he brought his scarves with him. Once, he jumped out of the window at school and scaled down the side of the building. He’d gotten in loads of trouble. Admittedly, that was a test run and he’d ended up falling into the bushes due to a misstep on his part, but if he could just go get help…  
  
But he can’t just leave Shinichi alone. What if that pisses the guy off so much that he decides to kill Shinichi so he could go after Kaito?  
  
Or what if he uses some other form of trickery? He could always try throwing his voice and impersonating an officer to fool him. Or is that risky? What if he sees through the trick and gets angry? Like, _really_ angry?  
  
He takes another deep breath and tries again. “Look, Akuhei-san, right? ‘Nichi’s a nice guy. If you let him go, he probably won’t press charges or whatever. He might even let you get away with it. If you need money, I’m sure he’ll find a way to help you.”  
  
And isn’t that just so true? Shinichi’s too nice for his own good sometimes. Kaito loves that about him.  
  
“Beika General Hospital.”  
  
Shinichi’s voice startles him. Kaito furrows his brows. And, also startled, Akuhei almost drops the knife. Kaito wishes he had.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You must have gone to Beika General Hospital today. I smelled it on your breath—the curry sauce they use. Though, you might have gone to the family restaurant on the other side of Beika—and, believe me, I’d know how it tastes with how many times Ran’s dragged me over there with her parents—but judging by the footprint you left from climbing the gate, you walked by the construction site, which is on the way to Beika General Hospital.” Shinichi has the gall to look smug. Though, if Kaito looks close enough, he can see fear in those blue eyes.  
  
Akuhei gapes. “How did—”  
  
“Kudō Shinichi, detective. You can’t be a patient and if you were having an appointment, you probably wouldn’t have stayed for lunch,” he deduces. “So you’ve gotta be a visitor. Judging by the situation, you probably need money to pay for hospital bills. Am I wrong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling to write this, so I just skipped to the climax. Kaito’s inability to recall the circumstances is mostly due to fear. And somehow Shinichi manages to be both a smug bastard and a boy who’s scared for his life.
> 
> So, two more chapters and then this is done! ^ ^ I’m so proud of myself.
> 
> The curry sauce thing was a bit of a stretch, but the Detective Conan series has done similar things, so... *shrugs*


	9. Chapter 9

They hear the patrol car approaching. Akuhei looks up, having buried his tear-streaked face in his hands, and stares pitifully out the window. Kaito can’t help but feel sorry for the man who had turned to breaking in to pay for the surgery that his wife so desperately requires. The taxi driver had broken down just minutes earlier, admitting that he had been visiting his ill wife, whose only contribution to Akuhei’s taxi-driving were the savings she had built up from selling a painting or two every once in a while. Between him and his homemaker wife, they had little money to spare. And even with their insurance there was still a great sum of money to pay.  
  
Shinichi, who had been quietly sitting there with a thoughtful look on his face, rises to his feet. “I’ll get the door,” he says, turning around and striding past Akuhei.  
  
He doesn’t make it past the threshold before Akuhei asks, “Am I going to be arrested?” in a quiet, resigned voice. Kaito’s heart aches, hurting for the defeated look on the man’s face. Still, there are consequences to each action. Getting arrested must have been the last thing on his mind, but what else could he expect from breaking into a stranger’s home?  
  
With one hand against the door frame, Shinichi looks at Akuhei, whose back is turned to him, before turning away. Kaito wonders what may be going through his detective’s mind, but he doesn’t need to ask any questions because Shinichi simply replies with a resounding, “No,” that catches him and Akuhei off guard.  
  
“No?” Akuhei echoes. Somehow, Kaito isn’t surprised by this proclamation. If anything, he’s relieved. And thankful, but hopefully Akuhei is even more thankful as he should be. He doesn’t doubt that the man is as he can see moisture building up in Akuhei’s red eyes. He’s about to cry again, isn’t he?  
  
Shinichi shrugs. “Did I stutter, Akuhei-san?” With an indignant sniff and what looks like a faux expression of bewilderment, he says, “I must have made a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking, believing that there was _actually_ someone in here.”  
  
And then he disappears into the hallway. Kaito laughs. “That’s ‘Nichi for you,” he remarks, catching on to Shinichi’s ploy as he leans back and allows himself to relax. “Too paranoid for his own good. _Obviously_ , he carelessly left the door unlocked. And the gate. He must’ve forgotten!”  
  
Akuhei stares at him, teary-eyed and flabbergasted. It’s a terribly amusing picture. If only the man could see it himself! He grins in reply but startles when Akuhei hunches over with trembling shoulders and tears streaming freely down his face. Albeit awkwardly, Kaito wonders if he’s all right. He voices his concern and asks if he wants water or something. Kaito mentions that Shinichi has a shoebox filled with stress balls and other similar toys—courtesy of Kaito, who had noticed that his detective had a tendency to run a hand through his hair too much and too hard to the point where he sometimes pulls his own hair out whenever he’s stressed or thinking too hard—if he wants one.  
  
“Why are you being so nice to me?”  
  
Kaito pauses. Why _is_ he being so nice? Dwelling on this, he realizes it’s because Shinichi had been first to do so. It doesn’t take him long to figure out why his detective had been so kind. “‘Doing bad things doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person; it’s the intentions behind your actions that define who you are,’” he quotes. It’s just _so_ _Shinichi_. “I mean, you could’ve gone about this differently, but if you were really a bad person, you’d have actually hurt Shinichi.”  
  
Well, more than you did, he privately thinks. Though, in Akuhei’s defense, he was probably terrified.  
  
“You must really love your wife to go to such lengths.”  
  
“She’s my _life_ ,” Akuhei whispers, smiling despite his tears. He wipes his cheeks with the back of his hand. “She’s everything to me. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He continues, rambling about his wife. Kaito wonders if that’s what being in love sounds like. “ _God_ , I love her so much.”  
  
Eventually, Shinichi returns, phone in hand as he presses a wet rag to the small wound on his neck. He’s typing, looking bored. He looks up and Kaito smiles at him. Shinichi flushes—or so it looks to Kaito—and turns his gaze to Akuhei.  
  
“Go home.” At the surprised look on Akuhei’s face, he adds, “Your wife’s gonna want you well-rested once she’s out of surgery.” Squinting at his phone, he hums, sounding satisfied with himself. “If everything works out, she’ll probably be scheduled to go in later this week. She won’t be home for a while, obviously, but you should get started on getting your home prepared for her anyway.”  
  
“B-but I can’t…”  
  
Shinichi smiles, looking far softer than Kaito’s ever seen him. It’s a nice picture—and one that he commits to memory. “I, um, explained the situation to my parents—er, some part of it. They’re willing to help pay for your wife’s surgery.” Holding out his phone, he tells Akuhei that his parents need his information so they can work out a way to transfer the money to him.  
  
And that’s the end of that ordeal. Akuhei bursts into tears again and Kaito wonders if the man’s earlier rudeness in the taxi had been a product of stress. Eventually, Shinichi’s parents agree to fly back for a few days. Akuhei thanks them again and again, wondering how he could ever repay them. From what he can hear, Yukiko just giggles and asks if he’ll pick her and Yūsaku up from the airport. Kaito begins to question if the Kudō family is filled with such softies or if Shinichi hid the fact that this man broke into their home and had him at knifepoint.  
  
And, well, honestly he wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... don’t forget that Yukiko and Yūsaku bought a whole house just because Yukiko wanted to watch Conan and take pictures of him. I mean, that’s a filler ep. but, like, you know.
> 
> And I’m sure if Shinichi lied and told Yukiko this guy and his wife are big fans of hers...
> 
> I’ll stop making excuses as to why Yukiko and Yūsaku agreed to pay for the surgery. I’ll leave that to your imagination. Hehe. But, okay, so, next chapter’s the last. They’ll get together. I’m going to aim for fluff. ^ ^
> 
> I was contemplating an installment in this series that’s basically just filled with KaiShin moments after they start dating. Maybe one day.
> 
> But speaking of installments in this series, I’m working on the next one. From what I’ve written, it’ll probably be 5 chapters. But I may just make it 3 and have the interlude stand alone. But the next installment will basically be an altered version of the case from Episode 2—I mean, Ran isn’t exactly going to storm over to Shinichi’s house late at night. So she’s not going to find Conan. But Kogorō is still gonna get the case.
> 
> Edit: Tbh, I have no idea how the healthcare system in Japan works. So, um, we’ll just address a few things in the next chapter.
> 
> But as an aside, I’ve reached 145,000 words. Just 5k more until I’ve written 150,000!!!


	10. Chapter 10

It hits him once Akuhei leaves. As soon as the man turns around and begins to walk away from the property, Kaito shuts the door harder than necessary and locks it before grabbing Shinichi by the wrist and dragging him over the kitchen. Taking advantage of his detective’s surprise, he pushes him into a chair.  
  
He’s been waiting for this after all the shock had worn off.  
  
“K-Kaito! What—”  
  
“Neck,” he says simply, slamming a first aid kit down on the table. He opens it and finds a cotton ball that he proceeds to douse in disinfectant. Taking a seat in front of him, Kaito begins to _stab_ at the cut and pointedly ignores Shinichi’s yelp and grumbling about how unnecessary this is.  
  
Eventually, Kaito is satisfied and tosses the cotton ball over his shoulder. Shinichi squawks in protest and tells him that he better pick it up. He pointedly ignores that too. He takes a plaster and peels off the thin sheets meant to preserve its stickiness. He turns back to Shinichi and applies it over the cut. Kaito lets the sheets flutter to the ground. As expected, Shinichi kicks his ankle. He doesn’t even bother trying to dodge.  
  
“Ran and I _literally_ cleaned the place last weekend,” Shinichi grouses following a drawn-out sigh. “She threatened to _burn_ my books because I forgot to _dust_.”  
  
“Good,” Kaito scoffs. “Maybe then you’d learn to take care of yourself if you weren’t too busy reading.”  
  
Shinichi makes a betrayed sound in the back of his throat and Kaito pushes the kit off to the side while setting a mental reminder to put it away the following morning. There are more important things to do! Or rather, to _say_. But where to start…?  
  
Maybe about how reckless it was to go inside when there was an intruder—even if said intruder wasn’t so bad? Or about how terrifying it was to see him, trapped, and with a knife against his throat? Or how that old lady from the train and girl from the bookstore just might be right? About how he might actually have _feelings_ for him that go _beyond_ _just friends_?  
  
“Kaito?”  
  
He looks into Shinichi’s eyes unflinchingly and is met with a confused look. Kaito swallows, feeling his mouth go dry. Words failing him, he simply leans forward and takes Shinichi into his arms. His detective tenses but makes no move to pull away. He buries himself in Shinichi’s shoulder and murmurs, “You scared me.”  
  
His words are met with silence. And then—  
  
“What?”  
  
“Did you know: I was so _fucking—_ ” and, oh, look, he’s actually cursing now “—terrified and I didn’t know what to do. And that’s not even the scariest part.” He tightens his hold. “The scariest part was the fact that I could have gone home and you would have come back by yourself and who knows what would’ve happened? Or what if he did more than make you bleed? What if you—if you…”  
  
“I—”  
  
“Let me finish,” he stresses. He wants to pull away so he can gauge Shinichi’s reaction when he says what he’s about to say, but something stops him. Privately, he wonders if the thundering of his heart is too loud. “You know, _twice_ today someone’s told me that I—”  
  
How does he go about saying this? He _likes_ Shinichi. He likes Shinichi more than he thought he liked Aoko. Or maybe he never liked Aoko like that. But how does he tell him? Maybe he should just say it. Just come out and say it. Come on!  
  
“I like you,” he whispers. He feels Shinichi’s breath _hitch_. Still, Kaito continues. “I like you,” he says again. “I like you a lot.” And, well, _shit_ , that’s still not right but he’s just so _scared_ and—!  
  
“Please go out with me!” he shouts, pulling away and holding Shinichi at arm’s length. Kaito stares into his eyes, determined and scared all over again. “I promise that as long as you’re with me, I’m never going to let you get hurt ever again!” His chest heaves and he swallows. “ _Please_.”  
  
Shinichi continues to stare at him, completely floored. Kaito wonders if this was a mistake. Maybe he could play it off as a prank?  
  
But before he can even plaster on his poker face and force a laugh, Shinichi says a quiet, “Okay.”  
  
“What?”  
  
His detective sucks in a breath and then says, “You heard me.”

~bonus~

“Can I sleep with you?”  
  
Shinichi looks at him as his cheeks turn pink for the hundredth time. He remains silent and unmoving. Unnerved by the silence, Kaito repeats his question while Shinichi continues to gape at him. Then, slowly, his detective closes his mouth and then asks, “Why?”  
  
“I just want to make sure that this is real,” Kaito says, feeling his own cheeks going warm. He clenches and unclenches his fists as his stomach twists in ways it shouldn’t. With a small laugh, he meets Shinichi’s eyes and whispers, “I also just really wanna hold you.” He pauses and wets his lips. Maybe he’s asking for too much. “Is that okay?”  
  
Without a word, Shinichi picks up the corner of his quilted blanket and shifts over some. Kaito, not needing words to know it’s an invitation, climbs under the covers as Shinichi slowly lays down with his body turned to face him. Kaito switches off the bedside lamp and then settles down beside him.  
  
“Hey,” whispers Shinichi.  
  
Equally as quiet, he says, “Hey yourself.”  
  
Shinichi blinks at him. Then, slowly but surely, he moves closer, nestling his head under Kaito’s chin. Startled, he looks down, only able to see the top of his head and the unmistakable cowlick. He swallows and asks what this is all about. Maybe he had already fallen asleep and is in the middle of a nice dream? Like, a _really_ nice dream?  
  
“You said you wanted to hold me, right?”  
  
Wordlessly, he slips an arm around Shinichi and pulls him closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that certainly didn’t go as planned.
> 
> I did some heavy editing because this was over 1k words and it just didn’t work for me. Sksksksks. I was trying to figure out how the confession would go.
> 
> Also, these babies are _fourteen_. They’re just _sleeping_.
> 
> So... I guess that’s that. That’s how they got together. I bet Shinichi’s wishing that _he’s_ the one that said something. He fell for Ran’s smile when they first met, but as for Kaito...
> 
> Well, he fell for something. Probably not his face. They basically have the same fucking face. But maybe Shinichi’s a narcissistic prick.
> 
> But, oh dear, where did Shinichi’s bad assery go? I’m sure it’ll come back once he’s used to this newfound relationship. ^ ^
> 
> Anywho... it’s already 5 am and the last time I looked at the time it was probably 12 am. So... whoops?

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this! It means the world to me and it would make my day if you left a kudos or a comment. Have a nice rest of your day! :)


End file.
